Holder for bulbs



Dec. 26, 1950 s. M. M ELROY 2,535,586

HOLDER FDR BULBS Filed April 22, 1948 Fig.2.

Stanley M. McE/roy INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOLDER FOR BULBS Stanley M. McElroy, Smithfield, Pa.

Application April 22, 1948, Serial No. 22,529 1 Claim. (01. 248-200) This invention relates to holders for light bulb and particularly the sealed beam or spotlight lamp used on industrial motor vehicles such as power shovels, cranes, conveyors or the like where the light bulb is subject to the vibration of the vehicle.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a holder for supporting the weight of a bulb and at the same time relieving the socket from any strain whatever, such strain generally occurring during the vibrations of the vehicle when in operation, usually damaging the socket and shorten'ingthelife of a bulb considerably.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the spotlight is supported in a fixed manner on the vehicle or is suspended from a suitable means when it becomes necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp support that will enable it to assume any angle of inclination and thereby make posible focusing of the light in any direction and also provide means that will be adjustable to receive bulbs of various diameters.

And another object of the invention is to support a bulb in such manner that the socket for the bulb is relieved of any holding function and merely carries the current for the lamp.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts, which are exempli fled in the description hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments,

Figure l is a side elevation of the supporting bracket and lamp in position on a motor vehicle;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, in enlarged scale of the spotlight support, parts of it shown in section for purposes of illustration;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the invention and as taken substantiall on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clamping bracket of the invention, and

Figure 5 is an exploded view of a spotlight and the current carrying means therefore.

In many commercial uses, it becomes necessary to provide light means to illuminate a work. As a result, spotlights are generally secured to a fender of the vehicle or in some other manner to effect this purpose. However, due to the vibrations of the vehicle, and also due to the fact that the support for the light is applied to the current carrying means as well, frequent damage will occur and the light bulb has a considerably short life. In order to relieve the socket of such strain, the present invention has been devised.

Referring to the figures, a support of the invention is indicated generally by the numeral l6 and is shown in Figure I mounted on the front fender l2 of a tractor orsome other vehicle [3.

The manner of mounting a spotlight and supporting it is clearly illustrated in FiguresZ and 3 and the device It] consists of a support member [5 and a, clamping member [4. Attention is directed to Figure 5, where, the spotlight 16 includes a neck portion I8 terminating in a socket receiving threaded end 20. A suitable socket 22 is internally threaded, not shown, and includes the usual current carrying means 24. In use, socket 22 is mounted by the threaded connection on neck I6 on extension 25. In order to avoid any undue strain on the current carrying means 24, the clamp I4 is adapted to seat and be retained on neck l8 exclusively.

In Figure 4 is shown one embodiment of the clamp and support member I4 and consists of a tubular body 26 tapering slightly at its rear portion 28. Body 26 is split in the form of an elongated notch 36 from the front end thereof and extending rearwardly for a short distance. This length will be long enough to permit tension on the neck of bulb l6 and generally will not extend beyond neck 18. At the point where notch 36 terminates in its rearmost extreme, a transverse semi-circular slit 32 is formed on body 26. A pair of ears 34 and 36 depend from, as by welding or other similar means, the clamp means 38. Bracket 34 is of somewhat wider diameter than bracket 36 and includes a recess 4|] for a purpose soon to appear. A medial depending bracket 42 apertured at 44 is secured to body 26. Bracket 42 is adapted to seat in support l5 within the bifurcated space 46 of vertical pipe 48, pipe 48 being threaded at the lower extremity 56 to seat in a nipple 52 integral with a plate or attaching flange 54. Flange 54 is suitably apertured, not shown, for rigid retention on a level support. Pipe 48 is apertured in alignment with aperture 44 and receives therethrough a headed screw 56 and is retained in locked position by locking nut 58. Thus, when it is desired to ad-' just the angle of the spotlight I6, screw 56 is loosened slightly, the desired angle assumed, after which it is again tightened into non-moving retention.

Clamping members 38 are seated on neck "3. see Figure 2, after which ears 34 and 36 are tenp i fid toward each other by means of a headed bolt 60 extending through suitable apertures 52, a locking nut 64 received in notch 40 retaining the clamping means in locked position. A suitable compression spring 66 is mounted on nut 69 and urges against the clamping force of nut 68. Tubular body 25 is of sufficient length to sheath socket 22 without being supported thereon, thereby relieving socket 22 of any such function and retaining the. entire supporting member by neck I8 on bulb [6. Suitable current carrying cables 68 terminate in socket 22.

As is illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, clamp I4 may be slightl modified by providing a vertical ear 10 mounted on the upper portion thereof and including a suitable hole or opening 12 where by the device may be suspended from a support if it is so desired.

In use, screw 68 is loosened to permit clamp members 38 to be seated on neck I8, and the device is either retained in rigid support by means of clamping plate 54, or is suspended from member 10 as may be desired. While the retaining bolts may be of any suitable construction, it is generall preferred to have them made of brass, since these have beenfound to be best resistant to weather conditions. As is self-evident, spring 66 assists in the spreading action of ear .38 to permit ready removal from a spotlight.

As many modifications of the embodiments above illustrated might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and it is intended that the above description and accompanying drawings as claimed shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a spotlight having a neck portion and a socket member carried by the neck portion; an adjustable holder comprisinga tubular member having one portion embracing the neck portion and another portion embracing the socket member, a longitudinal slit in said tubular member extending only through that portion of the latter which embraces the neck portion of the spot light, a transversely extending slit in said tubular member adjacent the closed end of said first-mentioned, slit, anapertured bracket depending from that portion of said tubular member which embraces the socket member and adapted to be pivoted to a support, a pair of opposed apertured ears depending from that portion of said tubular member embracing said neck portion and adjacent said' first-mentioned slit, and a resiliently urged locking pin extending through said ears.

STANLEY M. MCELROY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,444,249 Kenneth Feb. 6, 1923 1,690,491 Knauff Nov. 6, 1928 1,848,235 Wiley Mar.'8, 1932 2,151,768 I-Iumeston Mar. 28, 1939 

